It’s been nearly 40 years since the day openly gay Supervisor Harvey Milk was elected to office (November 8, 1977 - 2017) and returned home that evening to a crowd waiting to celebrate him in the Castro. The day didn’t just mark a win for Harvey, but for humanity. It gave hope to minorities everywhere and put San Francisco on the National map as a city where forward change was possible.

To commemorate the event, the non-profit organization Illuminate, along with the Friends of Harvey Milk Plaza will gather at the Harvey Milk Plaza for the unveiling of Harvey’s Halo. Starting November 8th at 6pm, the halo is an art installation that will shoot rainbow lights above the neighborhood for one week. All are welcome to attend and details about the evening can be located on the Facebook event.

The lights will sit atop the former Bank of America building—now a SoulCycle—across the street from the Harvey Milk Plaza. A permanent neon sign will be installed which will read the famous words attributed to Milk “Hope Will Never Be Silent.”

In addition to the light installations, the Haight Street Art Center and John Mavroudis present the Hope Will Never Be Silent commemorative poster. Using the colors of the rainbow to illustrate the names of poignant historical figures, as well as healing words, the poster aims to “reconnect us to the social power of the poster." It has also been turned into an interactive experience where visitors can click on the names to learn more about the figures embedded within. Check it out here! The poster has already been added to the California Historical Society’s permanent collection.